HDBRbuilder Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Just another closing note about woods...you know all that relatively inexpensive stuff from Taiwan they sell at wal-mart and such places that says "real oak" on it?...Well...it, too, is a copycat wood from Africa and central Asia. So, if you want the real thing you don't get it that cheaply...it sure as hell LOOKS like oak...but it isn't really a true oak...not if it is from Taiwan...they use a copycat wood there that comes out of Africa, too...why?...because they can get logs of it up to 20 feet in diameter for a song, whereas true oaks are prized and not cut very often in Asia. Can't blame em for using a copycat wood when they know it will sell like hotcakes, though, can you? Until they began cutting oak logs for veneer with a rotary cut...many homes had kitchen cabinets made with ash strip veneer that was finished to look like oak...ash tends to have more figure than oak does when made with strip veneers(sliced as opposed to rotary cut)...now that they are rotary-cutting oak...most cabinet plywood is actually oak though. Actually...when one gets down to the nuts and bolts of values of wood veneers....for the veneers used on Klipsch speakers, Black Walnut is one of the more valuable, even though it is a native wood...the MOST valuable of all the native veneers used on Klipsch speakers, as a matter of fact. ------------------ I can now receive private messages This message has been edited by HDBRbuilder on 07-22-2002 at 07:24 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space_cowboy Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Man, wish I had room for those things. Time for a home upgrade! If I buy 'em, can I keep them in one of ya'lls living rooms....LOL ------------------ Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.0 Phono Preamp - Parasound PPH-100 Receiver - H/K AVR-210 DVD - Sony DVP-S360 TV - RCA 31" Mains - KLF-20 Center - KLF-C7 Surrounds - Optimus Pro LX-10 (LOL, soon to be replaced) Sub - Yamaha YST-SW160 Reinforcement - JBL 4638 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 I don't mean to rain on HDBR's parade, since he is clearly much more knowledgeable about wood and woodworking than I'll ever be ... but ... I'm looking at a 1963 Klipsch price list which includes under "Sanded but unfinished" Klipschorns a "K-B-MR African mahogany" for $711 or a "K-C-MR African mahogany" for $676. So the guy in Dallas may actually be right. It seems probable this finish disappeared before HDBR's tenure began at Klipsch. Capt'n Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShapeShifter Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by space_cowboy: If I buy 'em, can I keep them in one of ya'lls living Rooms....LOL Rent Free!s>c> ------------------ KLIPSCH IS MUSICf> My Systems f>s>c> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space_cowboy Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Well, i just left him a message asking for serial #'s so I can ask here about it. If this pans out, may ask a nearby member to go with me to look at them. If everything is cool, I'll buy them. ------------------ Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.0 Phono Preamp - Parasound PPH-100 Receiver - H/K AVR-210 DVD - Sony DVP-S360 TV - RCA 31" Mains - KLF-20 Center - KLF-C7 Surrounds - Optimus Pro LX-10 (LOL, soon to be replaced) Sub - Yamaha YST-SW160 Reinforcement - JBL 4638 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCturboT Posted July 22, 2002 Share Posted July 22, 2002 Capt'nBob, In your Klipsch catalog do it happen to show a picture of this African Mahagony? If so,does it appear to be white in color? Thanks, Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 My tenure was 1976-1983. If indeed they sold speakers in "African mahoghany", then it was before or after my time...while I was there we seldom built any speakers in "mahoghany" of any type, but when it DID occur, it was Honduran mahoghany(the good stuff). Mahoghany will have a reddish finish to it...the more it is exposed to the air,the darker reddish brown(actually more of a rust color) it becomes...due to the high iron content of the fibers oxidization turning it from a light tan with a hint of red to it.. to a dark reddish brown over time...usually the wood is stained to look like it has already had this patina of darkening ...on the same order as maple and cherry are often stained darker when new...for the same reasons...to achieve the dark "Reddish" patina normally associated with the wood being exposed to air over time...where the oxidation of the iron in its fibers darkens it. ------------------ I can now receive private messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 The pricelist is a black and white copy, with only line drawings of the various speakers. Sorry Capt'n Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
space_cowboy Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Ok, help me out on this one, the serial #'s are 3J533 & 3J534, model K-B-MR per the owner. What exactly do we have here? Thanks all. ------------------ Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.0 Phono Preamp - Parasound PPH-100 Receiver - H/K AVR-210 DVD - Sony DVP-S360 TV - RCA 31" Mains - KLF-20 Center - KLF-C7 Surrounds - Optimus Pro LX-10 (LOL, soon to be replaced) Sub - Yamaha YST-SW160 Reinforcement - JBL 4638 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpikeJampton Posted July 23, 2002 Author Share Posted July 23, 2002 space_cowboy, These are style B Khorns with the riser between the low frequency and high frequency sections. J tells us the year of manufacture was 1971. MR, I'm guessing, is raw mahogany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Space: Check your other post where you asked about the serial numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vavoline Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Originally posted by Spike.. "I'm just sorry that Vavoline had to drop out. It's not often that a pair of Khorns pops up in Dallas." Thanks, I'm pretty sick about it myself. But on the bright side, I have COLD beer again. LOL And your right, they don't come around in our neck of the woods very often. Space..Go look at them babies. I work shift work,(12hrs) and am currently on my "night run". I wouldn't be able to go look at 'em with you until Saturday. I don't know much about Khorns, except that I've wanted some for 20+ years, but would be glad to go give them a listen. Leave a post here or page me at 214-439-7612 between the hours of 3:00PM and 4:30 A.M. The guy's located in University Park, I think. Good Luck, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 According to the old pricelist the K-B-MR is "sanded, but unfinished" African Mahogany style B. Capt'n Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardhead Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Ah, yes, of course! Now I remember. "R" in the old Klipsch brochures always stood for "raw," meaning "unfinished." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 Hello everyone. I am the guy who owns the African Mahogany Klipschorns that were advertised in the Dallas Morning News. I had no idea my little ad would create such a flurry of activity in the Forum! I believe that African Mahogany is known as Khaya senegalensis. Regardless of whether it is "true" mahogany or not, the speakers are absolutely perfect and the wood is spectacular (and I grew up around wood - my Father was a violin maker). Moreover, I've never seen another pair of Klipschorns like them. I do live in Washington, D.C., however I own property in Dallas, TX also. I confess that I've had a grand time reading all of these posts and enjoying the rampant speculation that my big old boxes from Hope generated! I think I'm now persuaded to keep these beauties! All the best, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timmy Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 Consumed with curiosity, I did a little internet research on African Mahogany, and the wood of these speakers looks like this: http://www.etrees.com/pages/africanmahogany.html Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 Mahoghany furniture and its look-alike veneers were extremely popular in the 1950's and 1960's...I can well understand how a customer would order the speakers sanded but unfinished if they were originally concerned with getting a perfect match to mahoghany furniture they already owned...with the varying shades of red involved in these natural woods and veneer, and the difficulty of even getting a CUSTOM match that gave the same appearance under the same light conditions (Yes, particularly under the same lighting conditions, because it DOES make a difference in matching the stain/dye/final finish, etc.!!)for these types of woods(cherry and maple, too)...it is easy to see the reasoning behind this type of "raw" purchase. ------------------ I can now receive private messages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vavoline Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 Tim: Boy, am I ever sorry I was unable to buy your beautiful khorns! That is some pretty wood. Oh, well. Maybe next time. At least I've still got my "little" Cornwalls!! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vavoline Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 By the way Tim, welcome to the finest BB on the web! I think you will like it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vavoline Posted July 25, 2002 Share Posted July 25, 2002 Spacecowboy: I guess I know what we're NOT doing this Saturday. This message has been edited by Vavoline on 07-25-2002 at 10:06 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.